The Naked Gun (1988)
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We know we're in a 1988 film when we're invited to laugh at O.J. Simpson in an opening slapstick sequence. We can also pinpoint the year of production when hard-nosed cop Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen), during a scuffle with the world's leading dictators, wipes the wine-colored birthmark off the head of Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev. Those wacky ZAZ boys -- David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker -- serve up a feature-length spin-off of their cult favorite TV show Police Squad!. Seeking vengeance when his partner (Simpson) is shot full of holes by drug dealers, dead-pan and dead-brained Lt. Frank Drebin searches for the Mister Big behind it all. Drebin suspects above-reproach shipping magnate Vincent Ludwig (Ricardo Montalban), but he can't prove a thing. Bumped from the force by the mayor (Nancy Marchand), Drebin, with the unexpected assistance of Ludwig's ex-girlfriend (Priscilla Presley), manages to nab the bad guy at a baseball game, where Reggie Jackson has been programmed to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. MGM mogul Irving Thalberg once reportedly told the Marx Brothers, "You can't build jokes on top of jokes." The producers of Naked Gun prove otherwise; indeed, one could develop writer's cramp just listing the gags in the film's first 20 minutes. Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad was followed by two lesser but still hilarious sequels, Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 88 mins
Complete Cast:
- Leslie Nielsen - Lt. Frank Drebin
- Priscilla Presley - Jane Spencer
- O.J. Simpson - Nordberg
- Melvin Allen - Baseball Announcer
- Raye Birk - Pahpshmir
- Joyce Brothers - Baseball Announcer
- Dick Enberg - Baseball Announcer
- Charles Gherardi - Khomeini
- Joe Grifasi - Foreman
- Tom Dugan - Drug Dealer #2
- John Houseman - Driving Instructor
- Burton Zucker - Photographer
- Jeff Wright - "Mr. Pallazzo? Would you come with me?"
- Dick Vitale - Baseball Announcer
- Sydney Urshan - Baseball Fan with O.J.
- Don Woodard - "There he is!"
- Doris Hess - Nurse #2
- Brett Bartlett - Seattle Centerfielder
- Lawrence Tierney - Angel Manager
- Tiny Ron - Al
- Jim Palmer - Baseball Announcer
- Edwina Moore - "Mr. Pallazzo, our head usher will be.."
- Tim McCarver - Baseball Announcer
- Reggie Jackson - Angel Right Fielder
- David Katz - Arafat
- Leslie Maier - 'Weird Leslie'
- George Kennedy - Capt. Ed Hocken
- Ricardo Montalban - Vincent Ludwig
- Nancy Marchand - Mayor
- Susan Beaubian - Mrs. Nordberg
- Susan Breslau - "Hey, look out!"
- Jeannette Charles - Elizabeth II
- Chuck Fick - Angels Catcher
- Curt Gowdy - Baseball Announcer
- Mark Holton - "It's Enrico Pallazzo!"
- Ed Williams - Ted Olsen
- Charlotte Zucker - Dominique
- Weird Al Yankovic - 'Weird Al'
- Nicholas Worth - Thug #1
- Robert Arthur - Bob
- Rick Seaman - 'Ya dumb broad!'
- Jim Smith - "Sorry, fellas"
- Winifred Freedman - Stephie
- Fredric Arnold - "Hey! What's the meaning of this?"
- Brinke Stevens - Girl in showers (uncredited)
- Hank Robinson - First Base Umpire
- Dennis Packer - Baseball P.A. Announcer
- Ken Minyard - Ken &
- Prince Hughes - Idi Amin
- Ronald G. Joseph - Thug #27
- Christopher Keene - "Please disperse. Please disperse."
- Director(s):
- David Zucker
- Writer(s):
- Pat Proft, Jerry Zucker, David Zucker
- Producer(s):
- Robert Weiss
- Closed Captioning:
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- Subtitles:
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